


Christmas Warmth

by AndInThoseMoments



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Christmas Fluff, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-18
Updated: 2013-12-18
Packaged: 2018-01-05 02:11:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1088373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndInThoseMoments/pseuds/AndInThoseMoments
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint has always found himself alone and in heat on Christmas, until this year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas Warmth

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: A/B/O verse -- whoever the omega is has very regular heats and they're always alone and in heat at Christmas, until this year. Could be get together or already established
> 
> Thanks to ShadowHaloedAngel for betaing!

Clint had never been overly fond of Christmas, but it was worse now. It had been bad enough before his first heat, when it was a time for family and he was an orphan. Now though, well, Christmas meant a week curled up in bed, trying to ignore the pain that he was in and waiting to be able to move again.

His heats were regular. It was common enough for heats to fall on roughly the same time each year, but his were like clockwork and that was his own fault. First one hit at the 22nd of December, peaking three days later on the twenty fifth. Then a month and a half off, until the tenth of February, where they returned just in time to ruin Valentines. Then no more until the very end of June, and the middle of August, then nothing to December. Clint felt that losing both Christmas and Valentine’s day to agonising heats was just further proof that the universe didn't like him very much.

By early December the rest of the team were starting to plan for the big day and all that Clint was worried about was whether he would be able to hide in his own rooms, or if he'd have to rent an apartment or heat house for a few days so that he didn't disturb the rest of them or cause problems. 

Tony glanced over at him.  
"Still not going to tell us what you want for Christmas?" He demanded. Clint glared for a moment, considering. He could lie and say he had a mission this year, but it wasn't like he was going to be able to lie about it every single time.  
"I'm gonna just.... go away for a few days. It's my time you know?"  
"Tough break." Tony said sympathetically. As the only other Omega on the team, he was the only one who could really understand. And while he'd normally tease Clint about most things, he had learned that Clint didn't appreciate being laughed at because of his condition, and leave him alone when it came that.

"Yeh." Clint shrugged. "I'll help you decorate and stuff, get the house nice, and I'll leave presents for the rest of you."  
Tony stared at him, and shook his head slightly. "You, Barton, are an idiot. An utter idiot."  
"I don't have to help decorate..." He muttered, clearly confused. 

Tony squeezed his hand.  
"Look, Pepper wants me doing stuff for Stark Industries anyway, and Steve had this idea about going to a children's hospital after we've had the meal. So we'll spend Christmas doing charity stuff and actually have Christmas another day, when you and Agent are back, how does that sound?"

"Real nice..." Clint answered honestly. "But you don't have to postpone the whole thing for me, and anyway..." He shrugged. "Agent's not gonna be there. He'll be going to his family and stuff... so yeh, wait, and he can join in the team Christmas..."

Tony walked over, and rested a hand gently on Clint's side.  
"He's your alpha..."  
"He's their son." Clint countered with a shrug. "And I don't... I don't get cuddly in heats. I don't... I don't want people there. Now, come on. We're decorating right, have to try and cover sixty eight floors with tinsel."  
"I'm game if you are. Come on." Tony wandered off ahead, but he was still frowning to himself.

Clint tried not to worry about it, and concentrated on decorating the house. 

When Phil came in from work several hours later, he'd been impressed.  
"You and Tony did all this?" He asked, pointing at the mess of tinsel sprinkled throughout the common areas. "In one day?"  
"Yes." Clint grinned. "It's beautiful."

"Yeh..." Coulson replied slowly, then frowned as his phone went off. "I've got to take this. I'll be back later..."  
Clint shrugged, and resumed covering every accessible inch of the gigantic tree with baubles. It was important to him that the rest of the team had something nice, even if he wasn't going to be there.

He waited for Phil to return, but Tony came in first, beckoning Clint down from his perch half-way up the tree.  
"Hey, Hawkbutt, I need to talk to you."  
Clint jumped down, landing in a crouch, and Tony grabbed him, dragging him off into a quiet side room.  
"What is it Stark?"  
"I spoke to Agent. Turns out you always run off at Christmas. He didn't want to be without you, but you removed yourself."  
"I didn't want to be there. I don't want anyone around, other than maybe Natasha when I need food." Clint spat. "And anyway, he had a family, I didn't want to interfere."  
"Alright..." Tony raised his hands in an attempt to ward off his anger.

Clint relaxed a little, but still stared at Tony, waiting to see what he was plotting. If he suggested Phil's presence, he would have to try and explain how it wasn't worth Phil's time, how he had better things to do than see him then. He was surprised by Tony's response.  
"Look, if you don't want to be in the tower, I get that. Sometimes I can't stand being around anyone other than Steve when I'm on heat, so..." He shrugged. "I've got an apartment downtown, in Manhattan, you can use that." 

Clint swallowed.  
"You mean that?"  
"Yeh, you're my buddy, if you need it then you're welcome to use it...." He answered with a shrug. "You went missing in summer when you were on, where did you even go?"  
"Heat house." Clint answered with a shrug, trying to pretend he didn't notice the disgust on Tony's face. 

Heat houses were rooms set aside for Omegas in heat. They were messy and stank of the pheromones of several individuals. Often they didn't even contain a bed, but the omegas just slept on the floor. Importantly, they had strong locks on the door, so the omega inside could choose to keep alphas out if they wanted. Not everyone made that choice. Some surrendered to their biology, threw open the doors and waited for alphas to arrive, but not Clint. Clint locked the door and kept it locked even as he screamed and shouted, as his body felt like burning and the toys he tried to use failed to take the pain away.

"Shit Barton..." Tony muttered. "Look, you use my place, we can go there tomorrow, you can get a look, decide if it's any good for you, and if it is then we can get it all set up, make sure there's food and things there, how does that sound?"

"Good..." Clint admitted, glancing down, feeling almost ashamed. He was embarrassed to ask for Tony's help, but at the same time the offer meant a lot to him. "Thank you."  
"It's alright Legolas. Not going to make you put up with some crappy heat house, you deserve better than that..."  
"Thanks..." Clint smiled weakly at him.

"Is it every Christmas, or did you just get bad luck this year?"  
"Yeh." Clint shrugged. "Every Christmas, every Valentines, then two weeks in the summer..."  
"Shit..." Tony muttered sympathetically. Clint shrugged his shoulders, not feeling that he deserved his sympathy. Then the alarm blared, and they had to race off to deal with the latest problem. Apparently, overgrown octopi had lost the need for water – he assumed this was another of Namor’s tricks. He was proved right when he noticed the hotpants wearing Atlantean sat on top of the largest creature.

Soon, Clint was perched on a building, firing off shots and not having to worry about anything other than doing his job. He was grateful for that, after the confusion and disgust he had seen in Tony's eyes earlier. By the time the octopi had all been herded safely back into the harbour and Namor's care, Tony seemed to have forgotten all about their prior conversation. He should have known better than that.

The apartment was nicer than anything Clint had stayed in before he moved into the tower, and was cleaner and roomier than any other heat house he had been in - plus it didn't stink the way those did. He didn't like it, because he didn't like the idea of being on heat, but he would accept it as somewhere to stay for then.

When it got to the 21st of December, he said his goodbyes to his team. He couldn't find Coulson or Natasha there, and was slightly disappointed, but he was determined not to let that affect him. He shrugged, hugged the rest of the team goodbye and took his bag to the apartment, calling “Merry Christmas" over his shoulder as he walked away.

He unlocked the door of the apartment, and made his way to the kitchen, opening the fridge to find a pile of meals inside it, along with various drinks and chocolates. On the cabinet top beside them, there was a pile of energy sweets, and some more sports drinks. Tony was clearly spoiling him. 

He glanced back at the meals quickly, and was startled to find out there was more than twice as many meals as he needed. Still, it was good of Tony to do that for him, and it'd stop him from being hungry after. Plus they were always telling Tony he had to eat more, maybe he had taken that to heart here. He grabbed a phone from his pocket and sent a single message.  
"Thanks for the food." He wrote, then closed the phone again, groaning softly. He was dreading this.

"Hey Clint." Natasha's voice from directly behind him made him jump. He wasn't in heat yet, but his mind was already becoming fogged, so he hadn't heard her approaching.  
"Hey... What are you doing here?" He asked, frowning. She was a beta, but he felt vulnerable and wasn't sure he wanted her there.  
"Checking up on you..." She answered, holding out a bundle of fabric. Clint reached out to take it from her hands, burying his face in the material of Phil's jumper and taking deep breaths, inhaling his scent.   
"Thank you." Clint murmured, the smell of Phil's body calming him and clearing his mind. "I... Thank you."  
"It's alright." She gestured over to the sofa. "This what you've been doing every Christmas?"  
"Nowhere this nice, but yes." Clint agreed as he sat down beside her, leaning against her shoulder.  
"You didn't think of telling us?"  
"I didn't want to bother you." He answered calmly. "Plus I didn't..."  
"You didn't want us to realise how very regular your heats are?" She asked, and he shrugged a little, still petting his jumper.

Clint bit his lip, then nodded.  
"Look... I know the drugs are illegal, but it was so hard as an assassin on the streets, if they knew I was an omega they'd have..." He swallowed and shrugged, while she nodded her understanding. "... first few times I tried using blockers, but after about five or six times, my heart started playing up. I didn't want to die, so I realised that I had to ..." He shrugged again.  
"That injection's expensive though..." Natasha murmured, and Clint shook his head. They both knew there was another way of paying.

He remembered the dirty bar he'd been offered it in, and that he'd accepted. It had been mid-summer, and he'd understood the deal. He got this injection off of an alpha, and his heat would be triggered immediately. For the next week, he would be at the bar, and the man who had given him the drug could do whatever he wanted. Then, after, he could leave, and his heats would be regulated.  
"We came to an arrangement." Clint answered, his voice trembling just a little before he swallowed down that pain.  
Understanding glinted in Natasha's eyes, and she nodded.

"You've been on your own for heats ever since then?" Natasha asked, even if she had already worked out the answer.  
"Yup." He answered calmly and shrugged. "Better than that heat was."

"I'm sure it is, but..." Natasha hesitated. "What about Phil?" She asked, and he shrugged slightly, cuddling the jumper to him.  
"I don't want to annoy him."  
"He's your alpha Clint. Even I know that counts for something..."  
"He's got his family." Clint reasoned. "I know they want to meet me, but it's not exactly how I want to meet them, and I don't want to drag their son away from them at Christmas time."

"No Clint, that wasn't what I was asking." Natasha asked, her voice quieter now, more intense. "I was asking what you wanted. Do you want Phil?"  
Clint licked his lips, but shrugged for a moment, trying to work out what to say.

"I do. But not if it's going to take him away from the people he loves. I'm not going to do that to him."

Natasha nodded slowly, her hand slipping into a pocket as she pushed a button on her phone, letting Phil know that he hadn't refused the suggestion. It only took a few seconds between her pushing the button, and Clint's phone beginning to ring.

Clint glanced at it hesitantly, seeing Phil's name listed under the caller ID, but made himself answer it, trying to stop his voice from shaking.  
"Hey..." He muttered.  
"Clint, are you alright? I'm worried about you being alone right now." Coulson spoke softly, trying not to be so authoritative that he commanded Clint, but Clint still felt himself relax from the sound of Coulson's voice. It washed over him, calming him and making him feel safer, but leaving a hollow deep in his chest. His body was already starting to burn from heat, and Phil wasn't there.

"I'm... I'm..." Clint swallowed, but decided to be honest, comforted by Phil's voice and the cool of Natasha's hand against his arm. "I want to see you. I want you here. But you are working, or you have your family to see. And I don't want your family to be upset and think that I'm taking you away from them."

There was a pause, and Clint chewed nervously on his lip, feeling confused by the wait, wondering if Coulson was reconsidering his plans to stay with him after the heat. The silence hung painfully in the air, until Coulson exhaled lowly.  
"Can I come and take care of you Clint?" He asked softly.  
"Your family..."  
"My family won't mind." Coulson said simply. "They will understand that, my sister's an omega, and they'd be disgusted if I abandoned you when you need me."

Clint nodded, swallowing as tears prickled at his eyes. He wanted Phil there right now, and the thought of having him there after fighting through so many heats alone. It took a moment for him to realise that Phil couldn't see him nodding, so he took another breath.  
"I want you to come here..." He admitted, his voice shaking slightly.

The doorbell rang. Clint jumped, and Natasha squeezed his hand, ushering him up towards it. Clint approached hesitantly, in case another alpha was there. Instead, he could sense a calm presence, and when he opened the door he found himself faced with Coulson.

He threw himself forwards into Phil's arms, and Phil held him in return, rubbing his back until he began to relax. He sniffled on his shoulder, hearing Natasha saying goodbye but not aware of what to say to her in response. All he could focus on was the fact that his alpha was there, right away, when he needed him most.

Phil cuddled him tightly, wrapping his arms around Clint, one hand rubbing over his hip while the other stroked his shoulder. He relaxed in his arms, feeling safe, inhaling the scent of his alpha. He still felt too warm, but Coulson's presence was already calming him.

He leaned up, pressing a shy kiss to Coulson's lips. Coulson leaned in in return, kissing him gently and stroking his hair.   
"You can tell me to leave at any time, if you need me to."  
"I don't want you to go." Clint answered, reaching down and squeezing his hand, tugging on it slightly.  
"Let’s go to bed..." He muttered shyly, pressing a kiss to Phil's cheek. Phil answered, following him up to the bed.

As always, Stark's property didn't disappoint. It was huge, and comfortable beyond belief. He flopped down onto it, staring up at Phil and beckoning him down. Phil knelt down, and his scent reassured Clint. He pressed up towards him, and Phil smiled.  
"What do you want Clint?"  
"Knot me." Clint muttered, wanting Phil more than he could say. His body burned, and every one of Phil's touches brought purification. Every kiss eased bad memories and washed away others' hands.

"Alright..." Coulson moved over him, straddling him and pressing close as he undid Clint's shirt. Clint returned the favour, struggling as he fumbled with the buttons, but Coulson helped him, laughing slightly as he pressed kisses to Clint's neck. Clint wasn't sure what to make of being laughed at, but there didn't seem to be any nastiness there. Phil's laughter made him feel cherished, just like the touches that were now stroking down his hips, before he went to unbutton his pants.

"You can stay stop if you want Clint." Coulson articulated slowly, looking down at him with fondness. Clint nodded, knowing that Phil was saying that for both their sakes, that he didn't want to feel he'd made Clint do anything. That he felt Clint had been forced enough.  
"I don't want you to stop..." Clint murmured, his skin heating further, his mind running slower as it was clouded by fog. He needed Phil.

Clint sucked a mark onto Phil's neck as he stroked him through his pants, before peeling away the remaining layers of clothing. He could feel the faint bulb at the base of his cock that would turn into the knot once he was inside him, and looked a little nervous.

Phil smirked down at him.  
"You want to take a look?"  
Clint nodded, and Phil shuffled back a little, letting Clint look down at him. He stroked his hand over him, seeing how Phil arched towards the touch, his eyes closing slightly. Clint moaned softly, feeling his body heating further.

Phil kissed him, gently working one slicked finger into Clint's body, making him groan. He spread his legs, rocking his hips up encouragingly as Phil added a second finger.  
"How's it feel?" Phil asked, and Clint gazed up at him.

"Good... full... so good, so good..." He repeated, spreading his legs further. "Please... please fuck me Phil, knot me, I need you..."  
He didn't have to wait for long. Phil lined up against him, and slipped his fingers away. Clint whimpered a little at the loss, but a moment later the head of Phil's cock was pressing up against him.

He squirmed a little, trying to press him into his body, and Phil obliged. He rocked into him, slowly burying into his body. Clint groaned louder in relief as the burning sensation of the heat stopped. He rocked further, trying to take him deeper, and panting.

"Thank you." He gasped, and Phil kissed him again. His hands gripped at Phil's shoulders, pulling him closer and moving with him, gasping at the sensation. It felt good, he was full, complete, whole, just like he had been needing to be. This was better than anything he had felt before, because it was with his alpha, and they were together like they were meant to be.

He nipped at Phil's neck, sucking on another mark, wanting to make him bruise, to leave a mark on it. He wanted them both to remember this.

Phil's teeth found his collarbone, sucking a mark into Clint's flesh. The sense of that, along with the feeling of Phil inside him, was making Clint get closer. He gasped, panicking and rocking his hips.   
"Close..."  
"Go on..." Phil answered, one hand snaking between their bodies to stroke Clint in time with his movements.

Clint cried out as he tipped over the edge, his body clenching around Phil's own. Inside of him, Phil came, filling Clint with his seed, and turning them over so that Clint was lying on Phil's chest rather than being pinned underneath him. The knot began to swell, tying the two of them together. Clint swallowed, squirming a little, but Phil wrapped his arms around him, one hand rubbing the base of Clint's spine.  
"You okay?" Phil asked softly, kissing him gently.  
"Yeh..." Clint answered, squiggling against the pressure inside him. Phil hissed slightly, but made no attempt to hold him in place.

"You sure?"  
"It feels pretty weird..." Clint admitted, seeming to register that he was wriggling, and making himself stay still.  
"I could get it out if you wanted." Phil answered carefully. "It'd be painful, but... it'd break the link if you need that."  
"I..." Clint hesitated, looking into his eyes. "I didn't think that it was possible."  
"No." Phil answered slowly. "It's possible Clint, it's just uncomfortable..." He shrugged slightly. "I mean, people can get whole hands in and out. The knot might be big, but it's not /that/ big..."

Clint laughed slightly at how Phil had phrased it, but he could see the logic to his reasoning. It had never occurred to him - the previous times he had been knotted, he had been trapped with no chance of escape until the alpha was ready to get off. That was what people had always told him. Now he had an escape route if he needed it.  
"You want to get off?" Phil asked, his hand now massaging up Clint's shoulders, soothing him. Clint shook his head.  
"No... not right now. I can stay here for now, just... just if it gets bad."  
"Of course." Phil answered, and he kissed him gently. 

Clint smiled, and yawned, and pressed his face against Phil's throat. He lay there sleepily, enjoying the touches to his back, until Phil was able to painlessly slip away. He dozed as Phil carefully cleaned him, and drew him back into his arms. He closed his eyes, relaxing against Phil's chest, and allowing himself to rest. 

He slept until the next morning, when he woke to a sense of warmth and security, with Phil pressing kisses to his eyelids.  
"Good morning beautiful..." He murmured, and Clint yawned, looking up at him and waving slightly. Coulson chuckled, pressing his face into Clint's hair fondly.   
"I know we're doing Christmas with the team once you're over this, but... I wanted to give you something now as well..."  
"Oh?" Clint asked, swallowing slightly, tensing as Phil passed over a small jewellery box, covered in purple velvet. He thought of all the romcoms he'd seen where an alpha proposed after a shared heat. Sure, this was the best heat he'd ever had, better than he had ever dreamed of before. But he wasn't quite ready for that yet.

He opened the box hesitantly, then relaxed as he saw what was within it. On the black fabric inside, there were Phil's old army dog tags. He picked them up, looking them over and then shyly slipping them over his head.  
"They suit you." Phil spoke softly, stroking Clint's hip. "How is it?"  
"Getting bad again...want to grab a shower?"  
"Sounds wonderful." Phil answered, releasing Clint so he could stand and then following close behind him to the bathroom.

They stood together under the spray, exploring each other's bodies with curious fingers and mouths.  
"Better than past ones?" Phil asked hesitantly. "I mean, I know you didn't want to before..."  
"I wanted to." Clint answered. "But I'd had bad heats and I didn't want to be in your way..." He shrugged. "I bought the heat regulators for the other price, you know?"

Phil flinched for a moment, but pulled Clint closer, and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Clint shrugged.  
"After that I thought... well, being alone would be better. It was just an accident that my heats ended up over Christmas and Valentines, and that sucks but I could tolerate it... I just never knew that heats could be like this... this is the best heat ever."

"Valentines will be better." Phil answered, pressing a kiss to Clint's cheek before returning his attention to washing him. Clint pressed up against his body, one hand running down his chest again. He still wasn't sure he liked heats, but he wasn't afraid of it. He got to spend a few days in Phil's arms, then go home to enjoy Christmas. All in all, things were pretty good.

"You look happy." Phil said gently.

Clint darted up to press a kiss to his lips once more.  
"I am."


End file.
